Excerpt from a CBC Report by Anchal Sharma, CBC News. To read the complete article, click here.
Bilal Sabra at his recently reopened barbershop. (Pierre-Paul Couture/CBC)
Bells Corners Barber Shop, 2120 Robertson Rd.
Bilal Sabra and Murad Driver, barber/owner and longtime client.
For Bilal Sabra, every new potential customer is also a new potential friend.
"Most of the customers that come here feel like they're coming to their home because we have long relationships with most of [them]," he said.
That includes longtime client Murad Driver who's been seeing Sabra once a week for a shave and occasional haircut since he was in university.
Barber Bilal Sabra's longtime client Murad Driver. (Pierre-Paul Couture/CBC)
A decade later, Driver is one of Sabra's most loyal customers.
He said it took a couple of visits for Sabra to get used to his hair, "and after that, my haircut was perfect every time."
Driver credits this to Sabra's attention to detail and listening skills, which he says extend further than just clients' hair needs.
"We found that we had quite a few common interests," he explained.
According to Driver, those interests range from cars to life advice.
"That's kind of the best thing about a barbershop is that you're able to communicate about what's going on in your life and you're able to get feedback," he shared.
Bilal Sabra (Pierre-Paul Couture/CBC)
"I just went through a surgery a few weeks back," he said.
It was during the closure, but Sabra stayed in touch, checking in with Driver by phone.
"[Sabra offers] a service that cannot be replicated by someone who isn't a friend or understands what you're looking for," Driver said.
"I couldn't find that anywhere else."
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